A RARE SANDSTONE SHIVA LINGA, SOUTHERN THAILAND, 7TH-8TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A RARE SANDSTONE SHIVA LINGA, SOUTHERN THAILAND, 7TH-8TH CENTURY This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve Expert’s note: Thai sandstone linga from this period are extremely rare. The present example is particularly notable for the well-preserved and finely polished surface, smoothed through centuries of exposure to the elements. Finely carved and smoothly polished as a phallic emblem, carefully detailed to emphasize the pronounced glans and its central vascular ridge, distinguished from the cylindrical shaft by a prominent encircling band in high relief. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Height 38.3 cm Shiva was worshipped in innumerable forms, both natural and man-made. Among the most widespread was the linga, a form that became especially prominent in mainland Southeast Asia from about the sixth century onward. As a phallic emblem, the linga symbolized divine generative power and regeneration. Forms of the linga ranged from naturally occurring river-worn stones (banalinga) to mountain peaks regarded as displaying a linga-like profile (lingaparvata). Literature comparison: Compare a closely related sandstone Shiva linga, Southern Thailand, 7th-8th century, 31.8 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1992.150.3.

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